Adrian school board names finalists for top job

The Adrian school board on Monday named three finalists to replace Chris Timmis as superintendent.

The three candidates who will be interviewed are:

— Robert Behnke, assistant superintendent for instructional services at Northville Public Schools and a former teacher and administrator at Huron Valley Schools.

— Catherine Cost, assistant superintendent for K-12 instructional support services at Farmington Public Schools, former principal of Troy High School, and a former teacher and assistant principal at Farmington High School.

— Carl Shultz, principal of Fitzgerald High School, who also previously worked in the Van Buren, Saline and Wayne-Westland school districts.

School board president Jed Engle said consultant Michael Wilmot of the Michigan Leadership Institute identified 24 candidates for the post, one of whom dropped out of consideration, leaving the board with 23 to whittle down to a list of finalists.

“I thought we had a really good talent pool to pick from,” he said.

Engle said Behnke would bring curriculum experience to the table, as well as “a wealth of experience with technology and utilizing technology in the schools.”

Cost, he said, “stood out because her experience with IB and curriculum were really strong.” IB stands for International Baccalaureate, an internationally standardized program the district has been implementing at various levels.

Shultz has experience implementing strategies and enforcing accountability, Engle said, and “it looked like he’s been at the forefront of a lot of innovation ... throughout his career.”

Engle said Behnke, Cost and Shultz were the board’s unanimous choice for finalists.

The board plans to conduct the first round of interviews on Dec. 9 and 10, with a second round the following week.

Engle said he expects site visits to happen in the new year, with the goal of bringing the new superintendent on board “as soon as possible.”

Engle said he thinks the finalists are a strong group.

“I feel very comfortable with the candidates,” he said.

Timmis, who had served as superintendent since 2008, accepted the top job at the Dexter school district over the summer. Retired superintendent Del Cochran, who was Timmis’ predecessor, has been filling in on an interim basis since the beginning of the school year.